Many herbs, including vervain (Verbena officinalis), sage (Salvia apiana), elder (Sambucus nigra) and, of course, St Johns wort (Hypericum) are believed to reach the peak of their powers on the feast of St John. It can self-seed and so grows new plants close to the parent, but it is also distributed long distances on animal fur or clothing. Also known as Bishopswort, Betonys properties are both medicinal and magical. It is very vigorous and grows well, and has pretty blue flowers amongst the green, hairy stems. Like Dyers Bugloss, Alkanna tinctoria, for which it is frequently mistaken, green alkanet has roots which can be used to produce a red dye. He says some people cook the leaves but he does not recommend it. Flowers appear in June, July, and August, and the berries appear shortly after that. However he say he uses the flowers, but did not say what for. Green Alkanet. Grown in English gardens and monastery gardens for hundreds of years, Lovage is not a native plant; it originates from the Mediterranean Used as a herbal remedy for sore throats, as well as an aphrodisiac, it was considered one of the wonder drugs of the day (1597) by John Gerard used for treatment of jaundice, colic and fever in children. The problem Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It spreads by seed like borage but sticks around like comfrey. Birds begin to sing and insects buzz. In its second year it grows like Jacks beanstalk. Green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens) has been grown in British gardens since before 1700, and is now widely naturalised. Stems branched, stem leaves unstalked. Tiggy liked to throw himself onto a mat of Sweet Woodruff when it was in flower, stretching out in the sun. It looks like an "oversized" forget-me-not with heart shaped or wide oval leaves (unlike the lanceolate leaves of the common forget-me-nots) and flower sprays that are carried rather above the leaves . It stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, so it can be used in teas to encourage the appetite or aid in digestion. Now a resident UK wildflower, this dainty plant from southern Europe was brought to the Chelsea Physic Garden over 300 years ago. Our stand of Purple Loosestrife, from a wildflower sale at the Ecology Centre, grows in the damp shade of the Fern Bed. Your style is really unique in comparison to other people I've read stuff from.Many thanks for posting when you've got the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this page. Teasel and 4. Check out our video to learn more about the benefits of growing borage. Combine all of these ingredients in a glass measuring cup. It really hurts as well because of all the tiny hairs on the leaves. Sweet Woodruffs tough, shiny green leaves make a low-growing, carpeting mat which is happy in sun or shade. video=http://highburywildlifegarden.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/v030.flv If you sowed gillyflowers (carnations, Dianthus caryophyllus) at noon on Good Friday, they would miraculously bear double blooms. Pages left blank at the back ( My Wild-Flower Scrapbook ) are meant for drawings, paintings or photos of wildflowers: Make sure you date all your entries this could be a useful document one day!, The Eden Project brings plants and people together. Allspice is useful in all healing mixtures. I think it is possible they would have ate the flesh of their fallen enemies, but I am leery of jumping to such conclusions when historically colonizers have made such claims as a way of encouraging the further genocide of Indigenous people in the Americas. By Halloween (31 October) and All Souls Day (1 November), the wise man or woman will be prepared for days of darkness and shadow. Some South American Indigenous people did participate in what is called Endocannibalism: they ate the flesh of their dead village members and family: a custom that was believed showed kinship and respect to the recently deceased. Stick with it! Summary. This is a stout bristly plant, with deep green, ovate leaves, and long-stalked axillary, crowded clusters of rather large flowers, which are of an intense azure blue and have a short tube to the corolla. They could also be put in streams to attract gold. The essential oil (West Indian Bay Oil) is also used in sausages. Its other names include Blue Bottle, Blue Cats Tail, Our Saviours Flannel, Blue Thistle and Blue Devil. 2. Pentaglottis sempervirens -. . Bees love it. A native wildflower which sends up long stems of YELLOW flowers each year, this one is most definitely not a bee favourite. They bring in the bees and give the garden the feeling of a woodland glade. Its a cousin of the forget-me-not, borage and comfrey and is a very good food plant for bumblebees, some solitary bees, hoverflies, orange tip butterflies, and the caterpillars of the scarlet tiger moth. . The female Orange Tip tastes the plant with her feet, then lays a single egg. The Romans celebrated Flora, goddess of flowers; the Greeks worshipped Persephones return from the Underworld. It's all over my garden and no matter how deep I dig nor how many roots I pull up - it still comes back. It particularly likes wastegrounds, hedgerows, scrub, woodlands and riversides. Herb Robert was said to be protected by Robin Good-Fellow, (Puck in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream); to harm it is to court disaster your house might well be struck by lightning, and if you keep a cow, its milk may be turned to blood. I have reached out to some friends of mine who have ties to Caribbean Island Natives still living today for their perspective. No point in digging alkanet in my experience - every little bit of root left behind will grow again! Does anyone know of any other names? I will correct the blog post. We have had it here in the wildlife garden; it glows in the sunshine. Download Green Alkanet stock photos. Upon review of this article, I find that there are a few very specific inclusions in this article that I, myself, would like more context for as well. As a producer of natural beauty products I mainly use plant extracts to infuse colour. Change). Its hardy, easy to grow and is hardly touched by pests or diseases so its great addition to your wildlife patch in the garden just dont let it take over as it spreads by runners as well as seeds. Remove from heat and add 12 drops of peppermint essential oil. So why is it called green alkanet? Its glossy leaves are purple underneath; in full sun, stem, stalks and flower bases are tinged with purple. Buy Alkanet dye 3. Our Ivy wall had a run-in with builders in 2012, and half of it was killed. Prunella vulgaris has a long history of use in traditional medicine. The flowering season for White Campion, according to Horwood, was from June to July in 1919; it now blooms from May to September. It likes growing along walls and buildings so its quite common to find it in urban areas where it escaped from gardens hundreds of years ago. Flower colour varies between species, though the hybrid recommended above is a sterile, and does not set seed. Its stamens are hidden inside narrow flower-tubes which end in a white eye in the centre of a blue flower. It is still the busiest weekend of the year for garden centres. Rather surprisingly it seems to have gathered only three local names: birds eye, pheasants eye, and water forget-me-not, all recorded from west Somerset. The secret of controlling alkanet is to wrench out (wearing gloves) the brittle, unpleasantly hairy flower stems as they age and before they go to seed (they will almost immediately produce new. Italian proverb: Sell your coat and buy Betony. The plant produces small white flowers, and later, the berries grow in clumps, green at first, then purplish-red. I think my mistake was confusing it for the annual borage. When small, the plant is soft, fuzzy and easily handled. A biennial said to have provided the blue paint with which the Celts painted their bodies. Green Alkanet was not well-suited to most Australian gardens. For information and inspiration: see Marc Carltons website http://www.foxleas.com/PDF/Gardening%20for%Bumblebees07.pdf (c) 2007 The Pollinator Garden http://ww.buglife.org/uk/Resources/Buglife/Suggested flowers for bumblebees.pdf (includes generally not much good for bumblebees). It spreads by seed like borage but sticks around like comfrey. In 1897, chemists at Bayer produced synthetically altered salicin, which helps alleviate fever, headache and pain. Not nice on your porridge!, NATURES FORGOTTEN FOLKLORE: MYTHS AND MAGIC IN ISLINGTON, Richard Meyers, available while stocks last, in person, from Islington Ecology Centre, 191 Drayton Park, London N5 1PH, Several of these climbers were put in by RF along the southern wall/fence; in good years they bring forth many fragrant, moth-enticing, creamy YELLOW flowers, followed by black berries. It is an occasional escape from gardens. Unlike cultivated carrots, the wild carrots root is tough and stringy and not particularly palatable.. It is happy in dampish shade and can be hard to eradicate. 1 Answer. As it grows, each leaf becomes a large, bristly green paddle, painful to the touch and good protection against being eaten by wildlife; humans working near the plant should wear gloves. Bumblebees love it. Dog Rose 3. In The Secret Life of Plants, David Attenborough describes how the flowers turn to the wall on which they grow to disperse their seeds. Green Alkanet Overview. "A potion for an ache: Take the moist dong of doves and a good half pound of feverfew, seeth them in fresh butter til they be thick to make a plaister to lay to the place where the diseased is grieved.". Its flowers are similar to those of . Varieties: Pimenta dioica,Pimento officinalis, orEugenia Pimenta. In the countries where allspice originates, the leaves are also used in cooking or smoking meat and are known as west Indian bay leaf, though it doesnt taste much like the other sort of bay leaf. Gently heat the water until the shea butter and beeswax pastilles have melted. I was on Youtube and a British Man was talking about it. It is our good fortune that Edith Holden was able to cycle into the countryside and record what she saw there. . Please let me know if you're looking for a author for your blog.You have some really good posts and I think I would be a good asset. The species are hispid or pubescent herbs, with oblong, entire leaves, and bracteated racemes, rolled up before the flowers expand. Plume Moths and Pug Moths living in the affected area suffered; Plume Moths made a comeback this summer, but we seem to have lost our Pug Moths. Edith painted the wildflowers, birds and other wildlife she saw, walking or cycling through countryside around her home in Orton, Warwickshire. Its YELLOW flowers proved unattractive to insects, and it appears that only one insect, an aphid, lives ON it. This was the time to hunker down at home, using herbs in their various preserved forms to liven food and treat the diseases of the cold winter. The Evergreen Alkanet (A. sempervireus) is also found in Great Britain. I have three children; two are grown, and I have been practicing magick alone and with family and friends for over 30 years. In this video I compare it to comfrey and borage. I actually enjoyed reading it, you will be a great author.I will make sure to bookmark your blog and will often come back down the road.I want to encourage yourself to continue your great writing, have a nice weekend! green alkanet in profusion, persistent, taken for granted between brick wall and tarmac, on vacant sites, untended verges. Bramble 2. It is an evergreen that grows to about 30 feet (9 meters) tall and its glossy, aromatic green leaves reach about 6 inches in length. so it is definitely going on the list for review. A Little Guide to Wild Flowers, Charlotte Voake. Masses of dry, dusty brown buds form at the stem-tips of this native perennial. In Natures Forgotten Folklore: Myths and Magic in Islington he is, as he says, merely scratching the surface. 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